Strange and Beautiful (You Put a Spell on Me)
by The BestChaser
Summary: Newt chuckled to himself, seemingly oblivious to her inner turmoil. "Well, don't you think we should talk about this?" "About what? You nearly getting yourself killed? Again?" she bristled without skipping a beat. Tina felt heat burning at the back of her neck, now nearing her boiling point. "Well that or the fact that you kissed me," he shot back.


**Strange and Beautiful (You Put a Spell on Me)**

As always, a big thank you goes to Katie Havok for encouraging me to write this down and for the stellar beta reading. :)

The enemy's spell hit the wall behind her, where her head had been mere moments ago, raining down bits of wood and plaster as she crouched behind an overturned piece of furniture.

"Morrigan's Unmentionables," Tina growled, frustrated and exhausted, pressing a hand to the bleeding fissure on her arm before muttering a spell to patch it up as best she could.

Her opponent lurked behind the bulk of an old-fashioned armoire, an inadequate hiding place, the flash of her ice blue robe giving away her position. They'd been dueling each other for what felt like an eternity, and neither of them was prepared to step down. Tina's opponent was not nearly as skilled as her, seeming rather young and undisciplined, yet she was fresh and what she lacked in experience she more than made up for with fanatical determination.

Typically this wouldn't be a problem, but months of training and consecutive failed missions had drained Tina's reserves, both physically and mentally, the sporadic hours of mediocre rest doing nothing to relieve the tired ache in her bones. Her mind was preoccupied, focused on too many things at once, and it was affecting her ability to actually _think_.

The woman fired a second curse, her face twisted into an ugly sneer. Tina uttered a string of profanities before army crawling along the wall and clambering behind a sturdy wooden table. She reached around its legs to retaliate with a furious stunning spell, grimacing when the curse missed its mark.

This had all gone so horribly wrong – a simple reconnaissance mission and creature extraction – in and out – that was all it was supposed to be it. At least that had been the plan before everything had gone pear-shaped and the entire team got separated, surrounded by an army of Grindelwald's most fiercest devotees. She'd been constantly looking over her shoulder, watching out for any sign of an approaching enemy or a glimpse of a familiar set of slate grey coat tails.

There'd been plenty of the former, but Newt had evaded her sights entirely since their arrival. A well-placed stunner finally hit her opponent squarely in the chest, sending her tumbling into an old armchair as Tina snarled in triumph.

Muffled shouts and the sounds of continued fighting carried over from across the hall and she left her cover in search of her team.

(And a certain Englishman, if she were being honest with herself.)

She found the rest of her comrades leaning against the wall in the next room, nursing cuts and other injuries, their exhausted faces mirror images of her own. The last of Grindelwald's _Gehilfen_ lay sprawled at their feet.

"Have any of you seen Newt?" she asked, turning on the spot to survey the room, casting about for a glimpse of his bronzy curls but coming up empty.

"Not for a while. Last time I've seen him he was on his hands and knees, cooing at a bloody manticore," said Theseus, entirely unconcerned, brushing the dust off his robes. He paused, wiping the grin off his face as she glared at him, her barely-contained worry edging onto her features, poorly concealed behind her brash exterior. "Oh come off it, Tina. It's Newt we're talking about. He'll be fine!"

There was an explosion in the distance and Tina's heart sank, naked panic rising from the pit of her stomach. The echo of another blast permeated the walls, this one much closer than the last, and a billow of silvery grey smoke crept through the doorway, followed by vigorous coughing and a dishevelled-looking magizoologist. Newt stumbled into the room, slightly dazed and covered in black soot head to toe, but visibly no worse for wear.

He looked up from brushing off his jacket to find everyone staring at him expectantly, and lifted a hand to scratch the back of his neck, wincing as he did so. "Well, I'd say that was a big heap of codswallop."

Tina choked out a watery laugh, fighting back tears as she charged at him, equally elated and thoroughly annoyed, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him soundly on the lips.

Newt reflexively caught her around the waist, stumbling backward, startled, before regaining his balance. He didn't have a chance to properly react to her kiss before she pulled back and slapped his chest, an exasperated expression on her face.

"Don't you _ever_ do that again!" she said, voice severe. "The instructions were crystal clear. You were to wait until we secured the perimeter!"

She stepped back and heaved a great sigh, her hands falling to her sides and curling into fists while he just stood and stared, gobsmacked, lifting a finger to his lips in wonder and contemplating whether this had all just been a figment of his imagination.

"Well, if you two are _quite_ finished maybe we should think about getting back to headquarters," said Theseus, his self-satisfied smirk directly contradicting the sharpness of his words.

Tina flushed a bright shade of scarlet and Newt glared at his brother. She stepped forward without another word, grabbing hold of his coat sleeve and turning them on the spot. They touched down on the apparition circle in front of the building, their landing perhaps a little clumsier than usual, a clear testimony to Tina's distracted state.

She let go of his arm as if burned when their feet touched the ground, moving towards the entrance without so much as a backward glance. He followed after a beat, determined to not let this slide.

"Tina!" Newt called, jogging to catch up with her at the gates. She flashed her badge to the guard loitering around the massive stone archway and he waved them through, Newt following hot on her heels.

"What?" She bit out, briefly turning to send him a glare fit to make the ice caps melt before stomping down the hallway.

She felt irritation seep through her very pores: frustration at the botched mission, Grindelwald's continued ability to elude them and the awkward tension and strained interactions she'd had with Newt of late. It was slowly grinding her down, eating away at her nerves until they lay bare and exposed, a fuse ready to blow at a moment's notice.

Newt chuckled to himself, seemingly oblivious to her inner turmoil. "Well, don't you think we should talk about this?"

"About what? You nearly getting yourself killed? Again?" she bristled without skipping a beat.  
Tina felt heat burning at the back of her neck, now nearing her boiling point.

"Well that or the fact that you kissed me," he shot back, amused by her flustered countenance, his own temper rising to match her own.

"I really don't think now is the right time to discuss this." She slipped around a curtain covered doorway, letting it fall closed behind her, hoping beyond hope he would take the hint and give the matter a rest until they'd both had time to calm their frayed nerves.

Tina shrugged out of her leather duster as soon as she entered her quarters, sending it to drape over the edge of her makeshift bed with a flick of her wrist. She felt grimy and entirely spent, wanting nothing more than to wash the dust and memories off her exhausted body, crawl into bed and sleep for the next three days.

Newt shoved the curtain aside, stepping through it without a second thought. "Actually, I think now is an _excellent_ time!"

He froze mid-step, nearly knocking his head on the curtain rod above. The fabric fell closed behind him with a soft swish but he paid it no mind, too focused on the woman in front of him.

Tina whirled around, taking a clearly defensive stance, hands on her hips and chin jutting forward, her dark eyes flashing dangerously.

"What?" she barked, New York brashness on full display. Newt's mouth went dry, his carefully formed reply instantly wiped from his mind.

"What do you want me to say, Newt?" she asked, tossing her hands up in a helpless gesture before raking her fingers through the short hair over her forehead.

She shot him another challenging glance where he stood, frozen to the spot as he stared at her, eyes roving over her features, open and unreservedly until her knees went weak.

"Tina..." he whispered reverently once he finally found his voice, taking a step closer to where she bristled in the middle of the room.

She raised one eyebrow in challenge, and he swallowed audibly, stoically maintaining eye contact as she glared at him. "I didn't know where you were, Newt. There were so many of his followers..." she burst out, nearly frantic, frustrations rising to the surface once more.

"Tina..." He interrupted again, more insistent this time.

"All I could think about was you lying somewhere, hurt or worse and _you,_ " she uttered, stepping closer and stabbing a finger at his chest in time with her words. "You were supposed to _stay put!_ Do you have any idea what that did to me when I got to the top of the stairs and you were nowhere in sight?"

"Tina!" He said with forceful urgency, effectively silencing her, reaching up to grasp her face with steady hands as her gasp reverberated in the silence of the room.

She could smell him from this close, the comforting and familiar scent of herbal tinctures and sun-kissed skin filling her nostrils, mingled with the smell of soot and singed fabric.

He could feel the light tremors shaking her frame as he took in her flushed cheeks and trembling lips, raising his gaze to hers in silent question before leaning close, determined, and finding no resistance, sealed his mouth over hers.

This time it was she who remained frozen to the spot as he plied her firmly but sweetly, patiently waiting for her response. The tension in her body gave all at once and she sagged against the solid plane of his chest, going weak in the knees as he tenderly cradled her jaw before pulling back a fraction, just far enough to catch her gaze and gauge her reaction.

The look in his eyes was her undoing. The extreme strain and frustration of the past few weeks gave at once and she felt something snap deep within, her last defenses crumbling to the ground in a smouldering heap.

Tina took a step forward, into his warmth, grasping the lapels of his greatcoat to pull him closer and in, pressing her lips to his once more. He smiled into the contact as his arms wound around her middle, returning her kiss with equal fervor. Her arms rose to circle his shoulders and he sighed, moving to kiss her cheek before tugging his face into the crook of her neck.

She thumbed through the coarse hair at the base of his neck, gently scratching his scalp until he lifted his face to meet her gaze. She furrowed her brow at the unexpected wetness glistening on his cheeks, clucking her tongue as she brushed away a stray tear with a gentle swipe of her thumb.

"I went looking for you," he said, never breaking eye contact and she shivered at the intensity of his gaze. "That's why I left my post. Everyone had already returned to the main chamber and I couldn't find you. I'm — I'm sorry, Tina."

"Don't tell me the great Newt Scamander was worried?" she joked weakly.

"Terrified," he breathed, gathering her close once more. She screwed her eyes shut when her own tears threatened to overflow. "With you, I always worry."

She pressed her face into his hair, failing to stifle a watery sob as she clutched at his shoulders. Now it was his turn to wipe her tears, making a soothing shushing sound as he caressed her skin. His hand moved from her cheek to her shoulder, sliding along her arm to link her fingers with his.

"What's this?" he asked, gently turning her arm to examine the partially healed cut along her forearm, peeling back the ripped fabric of her shirt sleeve.

"Oh, it's nothing, really," she said, trying to snatch her arm from his grip but he held tight. "I didn't pay attention for two seconds. It happens all the time." He looked pained at her words.

"I have something that might help," he implored, considering her. "Come stay with me in my case tonight. Please?" He blinked rapidly without ever breaking eye contact, reaching to cradle her jaw as he gauged her reaction, eyes impossibly soft.

She nodded her head, still not fully trusting her voice as he uttered a sigh of relief, bringing them together in a whisper of a kiss before deepening the contact, threading his fingers through the silky strands of her hair.

He slowly gentled the kiss, pressing his lips to the edge of her mouth and leaning his forehead against hers as they simply breathed together. She tucked her face into the crook of his neck, wiggling closer. "Please promise me to be more careful next time?"

"I can try," he said, nuzzling his cheek to the side of her head, softly petting her hair as he held her.

They remained a few more blessed moments before disentangling. She knew this was the best they could do at this time, unsure of what fate awaited them. Maybe one day, in a faraway future, they would be free to promise that and more. For now, that promise of _more_ would be what carried them through the dark, from one day to the next, until their own feet would be the only thing deciding their path.


End file.
